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December 26, 2025 57 mins

What’s the deal with the strong nuclear force? Neil deGrasse Tyson answers the burning questions Chuck Nice, Gary O’Reilly, and the StarTalk Team have been saving all year about gravity as a force, cosmic rays, free will, emergence, and how physicists decide which equations to apply. 

NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: 
https://startalkmedia.com/show/our-burning-questions-free-will-emergence/

Thanks to our Patrons Hubert Górecki, Michele and David, Antonio, Luigi, Normie, Ronald Stephens, Jessica Shawley, Michelle Harris, Angel Cuevas Hernandez, S MB, Tony Pryor, Mike LaHaye, Samuel Ahn, Kenderick Frison, Lori Harting, David Aldrich, allen chen, Mark McDuff, daketchek, Nathan Boorom, Steven G., Emilio Lopez Hatt, Leslie Lantz, Ken Gelwix, Nick4547, James G Avdoulos, Astitva, Dana Lewis, T, Claire Davis, Richard S, Glen Brown, Sierra Tornabeni, Sue Peters, Stefano Ete, Shawn Sellers, Adriane Underwood, jason jones, Charles, Infuriated Jurijcorn, Que the music, Jeremy Hunter, Sampson, Bhushan Nene, Paul Kruger, Sean Wyatt, Carlos Pelayo, Joey Mack Newell, Alex Iakovidis, Cookiehart, W Hollifield, Dave Martin, Hd4122, Shon Bucklin, Tony Taveras, aeonoku, Shawn Browning, ben dewrance, Black____Monday, J Hardman, Erik Krasguidotti, Thegayestmanalive, YBenali, Richard Green, Brian Charbonneau, Syronn Terry, Bruce Griffith, Amir, Tom Pritchett, Guido Vermeulen, Povvy, Sigurbjorn B. Larusson, David Paul, Kristof De Maeseneer, Scott Strum, Roni Riabtseb, Monopolyworld, Naeem C, Jayson Cowan, Steph Dean, Q, Shawn Piers, travis amiot, Scott Blaylock, Paul, Griffin O'Hara, Starlah Mutiny, Cristi Giangu, Joe Boon, Jase, Crimson, Johnny_Kash, Craig Otto, Andrew McTaggart, Mark Pflug, David Hosmer, Robert Carreon, and Trina Orloff for supporting us this week.

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